


Sternenlicht

by Siana



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, Space Opera, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-25 00:52:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4940356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siana/pseuds/Siana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akashi is a space pirate who happens upon a very special prize.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sternenlicht

He had met Captain Nijimura Shuuzou once before, back in the days when he was still poised to become his father’s heir and take over the company. It had been a prestigious ball in honors of some military man’s great achievements in some of the wars the Terran alliance was immersed in. Back then, Nijimura had not yet been Captain of his own ship, but merely a Lieutenant in the Terran army.

He couldn’t remember much of that particular event, the only reason he remembered it at all was because of Nijimura’s presence. Akashi had been fourteen and the sight of soldiers in their highly-polished parade uniforms had no longer impressed him.

But Nijimura was different. He was young, barely above twenty and the sight of him in his primly pressed uniform, buttons polished to a shine - even at his young age he already had an impressive amount of medals pinned to his chest - something about him had deeply excited Akashi.

Their meeting then was a far cry from their meeting now.

“If you want to kill me, do it quickly. I don’t have forever.” Nijimura spat as he knelt on the ground, hands bound behind his back. His uniform was a mess, torn in places and drenched with blood in others. The jacket was torn open in the front, buttons either missing or hanging by a thread, revealing a rumpled shirt underneath. There was a nasty looking bruise on his face and the skin above his left brow was split and dripping blood into his eye.

“Ah, but I do not intend to kill you, Nijimura-san.”

 _Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?_ Akashi had daringly asked Nijimura then. Nijimura had just looked at him and then smiled, the way you would smile at a child and ruffled his hair.

 _Maybe when you are older._ The words had been dismissive, but the smile in Nijimura’s eyes had been genuine. Until Akashi had approached him, he had stood alone near the food table, probably in the false hope that he could strike up a conversation with someone going for food - the poor fool had had no clue that during these social functions no one ever ate a bite - and looked quite lost.

Akashi had decided he could be charitable and had stayed to talk. He had not gotten that dance, but he had gotten a glimpse at the person Nijimura was behind the shiny uniform and awkward social skills. And when Nijimura had walked away, he had Akashi’s heart firmly tucked in his pocket.

Nijimura narrowed his eyes at him. “Do I know you? Did I piss you off or something? If so, sorry, but I don’t remember.”

Akashi raised his hand to stop his crewmember from adding another shiner to Nijimura’s face. “There is no need for violence,” he said.

Nijimura scoffed. “We have no valuables on board. So what are you after? If Hanamiya sent you, tell him he can go fuck himself. We paid everything back already.”

Akashi filed that particular information for later use. “This is nothing personal. Well, it was nothing personal. But since you do not remember, let’s just leave it at that, shall we? Someone posted a hit on your ship and I merely delivered. Competition in the trade business is rough. You should have stayed in the military, Nijimura-san.”

“Yeah, well. That wasn’t working out for me. Would you tell me who you are at least? And I guess I should tell you there’s no one who gives a shit about me to pay ransom. So don’t bother trying.”

Akashi felt a smile tug at his lips. “I see. As protective as ever, Nijimura-san. How is your family by the way?”

“What do you know about my family?” Nijimura snapped. For the first time since Akashi had been called to the ship’s bridge to assess their prisoner, Nijimura made an attempt to fight back. He was pushed down effortlessly by Nebuya’s sheer strength and this time, Akashi did not order him to hold back.

“Only what you have told me yourself, Nijimura-san.” Akashi said, smiling. “Does your sister still crawl into your bed when she’s scared?”

Nijimura’s eyes widened in surprise. “You-“

And that was how Nijimura Shuuzou became and ~~unwilling~~ passenger on Akashi’s pirate ship.

~*~

“When do you plan on letting me go?” was the first thing Nijimura generally asked in the morning. Akashi had given him his own cabin - guarded of course - and after that first morning, when he had sent Hayama to drag him to the breakfast table, he made an effort to come on his own. Being dragged by an overexcited Hayama was an experience no one wanted to repeat.

They had dropped the rest of Nijimura’s crew at a nearby spaceport, stripped of their valuables but all in one piece.

“We are currently on a course to retrieve the reward for apprehending your ship. I assume you would rather not disembark on Pharos 6?” Pharos 6 was a notorious smuggler and pirate nest, or rather the space station circling its orbit was. The planet itself was an inhabitable wasteland.

Nijimura grimaced. “Just drop me off on the way. I’ll find my way home.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Akashi said and poured himself some more orange juice. The good thing about having Mibuchi on board was that he had strictly banned any and all synthetic food from their diets. The bad thing was that Akashi had to pay extra for organic food.

“And why is that? You still haven’t told me what you want with me.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Akashi paused and considered Nijimura. He had said he remembered their first meeting - with some prompting - but then he should know exactly what Akashi wanted.

Nijimura sighed, exasperated. “And I keep telling you, that I have no god damn clue. Do you hold a grudge against me, or something? Hell, I was so drunk I told you my family secrets. If anything I should hold a grudge against you.”

“Nijimura barely drank anything at all,” Akashi offered.

“That’s not the point,” Nijimura groaned. “And what happened to the -san? I’m still your senpai, aren’t I?”

Akashi allowed himself a private smile. “Shall I call you senpai then?”

Nijimura threw his hands up in annoyance. “Seriously, stop changing the subject. Can’t you just tell me what you want? I’m sure you got stuff to do other than keeping me company all day. Just tell me and we can get it over with.”

“But I enjoy spending time with Nijimura-senpai.” Nijimura looked mutinous and Akashi decided it was enough teasing for now. “It is a simple matter really. But it will have no value if Nijimura-san does not remember on his own.”

Nijimura slumped. “You’re not going to let me go until I remember?”

Akashi sighed. “If Nijimura-san so wishes, I will let him disembark at the next port en route. But until then, I am afraid I will not be able to make any detours.”

Nijimura rubbed a hand over his face. “Okay. Now I feel bad about it. Do you have to be this formal all of a sudden? You had no problems being a little shit when you had my face ground into the floor.” Nijimura’s face was still discolored in places; at least the split in his brow had crusted over and was well on its way to healing. He had refused any treatment Mibuchi had offered, even if that would have accelerated healing significantly.

“I am trying to be hospitable. We haven’t had much guests so far. I apologize.”

“Just tell me when’s the next time you pass an inhabited planet.”

“Not for another five weeks.”

Nijimura groaned. “Never mind. I no longer feel bad. Seriously, why don’t you use one of the warp gates. There should be one nearby. We’re still in sector Delta, aren’t we?”

“We are not traders Nijimura. And if the authorities find you aboard this ship they won’t hesitate to execute you along with us.” Akashi quirked his lips into a smirk. “We do have quite the reputation.”

Nijimura’s brows drew into a frown. “Yeah, what’s up with that? Weren’t you some rich brat when we met? I’m sure you were the offspring of some big-shot politician or something.”

“Corporate executive, actually. Surely Nijimura has heard of Akashi Interstellar?”

Nijimura openly gaped before quietly cursing. “Shit. I thought there might be a connection, but I never figured you were like… the heir? Seriously? How did you end up the most notorious pirate Captain this side of the galaxy?”

“I wouldn’t quite go as far as calling myself the most notorious Captain.”

“Modesty doesn’t suit you.” Nijimura said bluntly. “Stop dodging the question.”

“I am not dodging. I will tell you how I became a pirate, in exchange however, I wish to hear about your involvement with Hanamiya Makoto.”

He had expected some hedging, bartering even, but not the immediate and blunt ‘no’ that came from Nijimura’s lips. “Absolutely not. That’s none of your business.”

Akashi schooled his expression into one of mild disinterest. “As you wish.” He tried to ignore the disappointment he felt.

~*~

His crew had taken a very deep liking to Nijimura in a rather short matter of time. Nijimura was blunt, honest and could hold his own in a fight. A fact he had proven skillfully when they had attacked his ship. But more than that, Akashi suspected, it was the fact that Nijimura was not afraid to call him out on his shit.

“No, we are not boarding that ship.”

“Nijimura, we are pirates, it’s what we do.” Akashi explained once again, very exasperated. They had spotted a small vessel - Sharon consortium judging by the bright blue bird stamped on the ship’s rear - that promised rich bounty. It was a runner, a ship class used for messaging and that usually meant information that could be sold at a very high price. It was a fast ship by nature but no match for the Rakuzan and the modifications Akashi had installed.

“Not as long as I am on board.”

“Maybe I should throw Nijimura over board then,” Akashi said. He was definitely not pouting.

Nijimura just _looked_ at him.

Akashi sighed. He could just ignore Nijimura, throw him into a cell if need be, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He cared about what Nijimura thought of him. “They could be carrying information about things harmful to the alliance.” Akashi offered one last attempt at - weak - persuasion.

“Yeah. Or they could be carrying some space cadet’s birthday greetings to his grandma. “How much would that sell, huh?”

Akashi felt very much like stomping his foot, but he was way too mature for something that childish. He was also very much aware that Hayama, Nebuya and Mibuchi had their heads together and were whispering animatedly, gesturing towards them every now and then. Only Mayuzumi was too busy ignoring them all to partake in the gossip.

“There’s really no reason to waste your talents on piracy,” Nijimura said and ruffled Akashi’s hair, the way he had done that very first time they met. Akashi’s heart skipped a beat and he had to forcefully root himself in his place, else he would have dragged Nijimura into that kiss he had been craving since recognizing him as their prisoner.

He gave the order to stay clear of any and all vessels until they reached the next planet.

~*~

His mother had always loved watching the stars at night. Be it from the surface of a planet or out the windows of a space station. It was the only thing he really remembered about his mother, aside from her smile and deep, red hair.

His father had been a gentler man in those times. He had lovingly poked fun at his wife’s habits and still brought her a blanket or a cup of steaming hot tea when she had forgotten the time out stargazing.

Ever since she died, Akashi could never look at the stars without a hint of melancholy.

“You have a skylight in your ship?” Nijimura stared at the large paned window frame that spanned the major part of ceiling on the weapon’s deck. “Why the hell do you have a skylight in your ship?”

“It is not a skylight,” Akashi said with a bit of hurt pride. Nijimura just gave him a skeptical eyebrow raise. “It is a tactical window. It is a common move of the Terran space police to sneak up on their target from above.”

“That’s what sensors are for.” Nijimura was staring outside again. Despite his mocking, he was transfixed by the endless ocean of stars that could be seen.

“The police ships tend to be shielded from heat signature detection. Sensors would not be able to pick up their presence until it is too late.”

“Wow. I really missed a lot since I left the military. But how does the window help. Does someone just keep watch all day and stare out the window? Sounds boring, although the view is pretty.”

Akashi smirked. “Oh no. This is not for detection. I could have installed visual detectors of course, but there is a reason why things like that are rarely used. No, this window allows us to fire upwards.” He pointed to a large contraption mounted right in the center of the room. It was a special cannon, built after Akashi’s own blueprints with a head that could rotate 360° horizontally and 180° vertically. It had multiple smaller cousins scattered all throughout the room. Besides the large window at the top, the whole weapon’s deck’s walls were perforated with small windows. “The deck can be closed off from the rest of the ship and depressurized within less than 30 seconds. By then we are fully prepared to shake them off.”

Nijimura nodded. “And you are trying to tell me you aren’t occasionally using this handy little opening to enter ships from underneath?”

Akashi opened his eyes wide, affecting innocence. “I would never dare to do such a thing.”

“Right. So why did you bring me here? I hope not just to show off your guns.”

Akashi gestured to the large window. “Reo tells me, it is the perfect spot for stargazing. He has a blanket stashed here somewhere.”

“Wait a second. Is this a date?”

Akashi paused in his efforts to retrieve Mibuchi’s blanket to look at Nijimura. “Do you want it to be one?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re still a brat.”

Akashi frowned. “Surely, Nijimura-san is joking?” Too late he realized the light dusting of red on Nijimura’s ears. “How about we call it something else then?” He amended. Nijimura was resolutely staring out the window.

“It sure gives you a crick in the neck.” He muttered. “Hurry up with that blanket. I don’t want to get a stiff neck.”

Akashi hid a smile and complied. Mibuchi had stashed a few snacks and a bottle of wine with the blanket with a small note attached to them. _Go get him_ , and a smiley face with a kissy mouth. Akashi felt a surge of warmth. He never once had regretted picking the crew he had.

“What’s that?” Nijimura asked when he approached with his arms full. “Is that… _wine from earth?_ ” Nijimura snatched the bottle from Akashi’s hands and stared at it. “This is worth a fortune. Where did you get this?”

“I don’t think Nijimura-san would appreciate knowing.” Akashi laid out the blanket and placed down the snacks and glasses. Mibuchi must have raided Nebuya’s snack stash or maybe he had donated them himself.

“You stole it," Nijimura accused but there was little bite to it. Nijimura still put his foot down when it came to plundering ships, but he had notably warmed to him and his crew.

“If Nijimura-san does not want to drink stolen ware, I understand.” Akashi reached for the bottle. “I can bring up something else?”

“Don’t even think of it. When will I ever get another chance at drinking original earth wine. This shit is almost a century old. I’ll be drunk off wine that’s been made by people who are already dead. Akashi, that’s totally crazy.”

“I imagine we must have at least two more crates of wine. Reo refuses to let me sell it.” Akashi faked disinterest. “Of course, if Nijimura decides to stay with us, he will have plenty of options to drink this wine.”

Nijimura unceremoniously whacked him over the head. “That’s not even an option you brat. Now hand over the bottle opener. I want to try this treasure.”Akashi handed him the opener. Nijimura scowled at it. “Feels wrong to open this with a laser," He muttered.

He handed Akashi a glass filled with deep, red liquid. Akashi didn’t take a sip yet, intent on watching Nijimura’s face as he took his first.

Nijimura took a careful sip, chewed on the taste before swallowing. He grimaced. “Fucking hell, this is disgusting.”

Akashi raised an eyebrow but decided to see for himself. He took a small sip to taste the waters, but the wine tasted fine to him. No aftertaste of cork, no strange flavors. It was rather tart, but that was to be expected. “My wine tastes fine. What is the problem?”

Nijimura grinned sheepishly. “I just don’t like wine. It tastes gross.” He put down his glass.

Akashi blinked. “Why were you this excited then?” What did it say about him that he wanted nothing more but to kiss that boyish grin off Nijimura’s lips?

“It’s really old wine. I thought maybe it tastes better. Also, this is probably worth enough to buy a small planet or something.”

“Hardly.” Truth be told, Akashi had not the slightest idea how much worth this wine was. Mibuchi was the wine connoisseur. Akashi could only pride himself in actually having seen a real grape once. A real earth grape that was. The daughter of a daughter of a daughter of an original earth plant, but it still counted.

“Yeah, but the point still stands. It’s really old, really expensive. So of course I was going to try it. Now I can say that I drank wine thrice my age.”

“Fair enough.” Akashi took one more sip before putting his own glass down. He reinserted the cork and put the bottle aside. “I think we were supposed to toast or something,” he said. For a moment he imagined it; he and Nijimura with a glass each, raising it to one another. _To us_ , Nijimura would say with that twinkle in his eye that 14-year old Akashi had fallen in love with first. _To the future,_ Akashi would respond and smile and feel warm all over. Not because of the wine but because Nijimura was there with him.

“Why is it not an option. That you stay with us?” The question was out before he could stop himself.

Nijimura, who had turned his attention back to the stars above them looked at him. “Come on, Akashi. We both know this won’t last. You’re a pirate and I am… well I don’t know what I am now. A trader without a ship and crew is not much of a trader. And I won’t go back to the military. You’ll tire of me and I’ll move on.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way.”

Nijimura didn’t respond and Akashi didn’t know what else to say to convince him. Maybe Nijimura did remember. And maybe it had never meant as much to Nijimura than it had to him. He could still feel Nijimura’s hand in his hair, but to Nijimura it must have been nothing more than a subconscious gesture. Something he did all the time to his siblings.

It had meant nothing then and it meant nothing now.

Akashi picked up his glass again while Nijimura watched the stars above them.

Later, he changed their ship's course. There was a star system nearby. Not exactly en route but it would only cost them a few days. It was also well connected; Nijimura could reach from there wherever he wanted.

~*~

The Rakuzan was a comparably large ship for a pirate vessel. Akashi had bought her with the money he himself had earned with careful investments and placing a hand in businesses. He’d had a trust fund, but Akashi didn’t want to take anything that had his father’s fingerprint on it into his new life. He’d known that the ship would have to last him for a long time so he hadn’t been stingy.

It was a beautiful ship in his own opinion. Large but streamlined, a deadly black dart in the endless night of space. It had taken only a few years for him to build up a reputation. Now he was one of the most wanted criminals in the galaxy.

And yet here he was, shooting hoops in the ship-own gym turned basketball court and wallowing in his misery like a lovesick teenager. He’d hoped-

In truth, Akashi didn’t know what he had hoped. Maybe that Nijimura felt the same way about him that Akashi did. That despite their short encounter, Nijimura could never quite forget him.

The ball fell through the hoop with a swish of net and bounced away. Akashi hadn’t paid much attention to his throws. It had become a natural part of him. Pick up the ball, dribble to the free throw line and drive past an enemy that was no there. Shoot.

He had not hoped anything, Akashi realized after he had lost count of how many repeats he’d done. He had simply assumed that everything would fall into place. Like it always did. Akashi caught the ball when it bounced off the floor. But he couldn’t find the will to move.

“I didn’t know you played?”

Akashi almost dropped the ball. Nijimura stood in the entrance to the gym. He wore what seemed to be Mibuchi’s training clothes and had a towel and water bottle in his hands. “Uh, sorry if I’m intruding, but Reo told me I could exercise here? I didn’t know you had a court.”

Akashi did a bid for calm. “It is a customization. The other training equipment is over there.” He pointed to the far end of the gym. It was mostly thanks to Nebuya that it was as well equipped as it was. Akashi occasionally used the treadmill and sometimes the ellipsis trainer, but he usually preferred to use the court. The others sometimes joined him, but there was only so much of a game to be had with a crew of a total of five people.

Nijimura took a step toward the far wall, but paused. He hesitated for a moment. “Mind if I shoot a few hoops myself?” He indicated the row of balls neatly lined up on a shelf at the wall. Akashi fingered the almost smooth surface of his own ball. It made handling a pain, but it was a gift from his late mother.

“You can do as you please.” If it came out snider than intended, Nijimura gave no indication he’d noticed. Akashi had not avoided Nijimura the past few days, but it just happened that his duties kept him from spending as much time with him as before. Their change of course brought them back into more inhabited areas and Akashi would rather not run into any trouble on the way. Of course, Hayama was perfectly capable of enemy avoidance, but that was hardly the point.

Nijimura picked the other hoop to do his drills and while Akashi did make a concerted effort to continue with his own exercise, he was soon drawn to the steady thrum of Nijimura’s playing. He was good. More than good.

Nijimura played with the kind of effortless grace that only came from long practice and love for the sport. But it was more than just that. There was a sort of feral quality to it too. There was no opponent to Nijimura’s plays, but Akashi had the impression that few would be able to stand against him. Watching him play made something in Akashi’s heart ache.

“How about a game of one-on-one?” He knew it was foolish to engage, but Akashi couldn’t help himself. He wanted to see if Nijimura measured up to Akashi’s own ability, if he stood a chance at all.

Nijimura seemed surprised by the offer. “Sure,” he said with an easy grin. “First one to ten wins?”

Akashi returned his own ball to its spot on the shelf and took position. “I will give you the advantage of first attack. Don’t think I will go easy on you, though.”

Nijimura’s grin morphed into a smirk. “Someone’s got their mouth pretty full. I hope you can live up to your claims. I won’t go easy on you.” Nijimura bounced the ball once, casually and with ease and immediately switched into a brutal drive. Akashi barely had the time to react. Still, he only managed to graze the ball with his fingertips and Nijimura dunked the ball with exhilarating force.

“Not bad," Nijimura said with a grin.

Akashi rolled his shoulders to ease some of the tension. “I wanted to assess your strength. From now on, I won’t let you score anymore.”

“Hah? Big words for someone this small.” There was a wild expression in Nijimura’s eyes and Akashi allowed himself to rise to the bait. Nijimura had issued a challenge that went beyond a mere game of basketball. Akashi picked up the ball and took up position. Nijimura mirrored him under the hoop.

 _Maybe_ , he wondered as he moved into his own drive, _this is what coming home feels like_.

Nijimura might never give him his dance, but this was almost good enough to make up for it.

~*~

“What do you mean, I’ll leave tomorrow?” Nijimura had his hands planted on Akashi’s desk and he was very obviously displeased.

Akashi’s breath failed to come steady in this close proximity. Still, he reached inside to find some sort of calm to face this situation. “It means we will be landing on Scheherazade tomorrow. It is a bit of a detour, but it is a well connected trade planet that will allow Nijimura-san a prime choice of destinations. We will provide him with funds necessary to book a place on any ship he desires. It is our fault, after all that his path has been led astray.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit, Akashi. You said you weren’t going to land anywhere until the end of this month. That’s still two and a half weeks until then. What’s up with this sudden detour to Scheherazade?”

“It is only a small detour. And we were running out of perishable goods anyway. One way or another, we would have to stop somewhere anyway.”

“But Schera is an alliance stronghold. There’s patrol ships everywhere. Why the fuck would you risk exposure?”

Akashi laced his fingers together to keep them from clenching into fists. Nijimura wasn’t yelling but he might as well have been. Akashi’s immediate response was to yell back, to rid himself of all the grueling feelings he’d carried around ever since their fateful encounter. “That may be. But Schera is also the best connected planet this part of the galaxy. There is a warp gate nearby and ships come through regularly. Would Nijimura-san rather be dropped off at a backwater planet?”

“That’s not the point.”

“What is the point then?”

Nijimura let out a frustrated sound. “Why’d you want to get rid of me so suddenly? Did I do something? If so, god damn it Akashi, you have to tell me.”

Akashi blinked. The anger that had been churning in his gut suddenly evaporated. “Nijimura-san didn’t do anything.” He hadn’t quite been prepared for the outburst, but that was something he could handle, but _this_. Nijimura looked sad. How was he supposed to handle _that_?

Nijimura sighed. “Sorry if I don’t believe that. You’ve been weird since…” Nijimura blushed. “Well, you’ve been weird. Like super busy all of a sudden, while before you were practically following me everywhere. And then we play basketball, honestly that was the best game I’ve played ever in my life and I think maybe you were really just busy. And then you go back to ignoring me and I’ll have to hear from one of your crewmembers that you’re going to boot me off the ship?”

Akashi’s hands were shaking and he felt trapped in his disability to gauge the right reaction. Nijimura was definitely angry, but also sad and disappointed and _where had he gone wrong_?

“I thought this was what Nijimura-san wanted.” He said weakly.

“Would you stop it already? Doing this-“ Nijimura gestured with his hand. “Stop it with the ridiculous formal talk and the assuming about me. You haven’t talked to me about this and I’m pissed okay? Who says I want to get off at Schera? I’ll call myself a happy man if I never have to see that place again.”

“All right. We can change course and drop you off at our original destination. Ah, not Pharos obviously, but a planet on the way.” He moved his hand to the ship’s navigation computer to input the change of course. Maybe, if he fixed this quickly, Nijimura would calm down and Akashi would no longer have to feel like he was balancing on egg shells.

Nijimura groaned. “Damn it, Akashi. Is it really so hard to talk to me? Ask me what I want? Just once? If you really want to get rid of me, I’ll disembark at god forsaken Schera, but if there is any chance that…” Nijimura shook his head. “Never mind. Forget that I said anything. I don’t even know if this is-“ He cut himself off and pushed away from the desk.

Akashi could only sit and stare in frozen shock, hand still outstretched to his control panel, as Nijimura stomped out of the room. His brain tried to catch up but he couldn’t make sense of what happened.

He stared at the control panel, unsure what to do. If he’d left the course as it was they would reach Scheherazade in about nineteen hours. They could stock up on fuel and supplies, but Nijimura could feel compelled to leave, which he apparently didn’t want? But if he changed the course, he would again make a decision on Nijimura’s behalf without consulting him.

Why was this so hard?

He felt the sting of oncoming tears and that just wouldn’t do. He reached for the call button at the side of his desk and pressed it. He prided himself on a steady voice as he called in Mibuchi through the comm system.

~*~

He found Nijimura up on the weapon’s deck, staring out at the cluster of stars. Mibuchi’s blanket was spread out on the ground and he even had brought up some pillars from his cabin. Akashi remained at the door for a moment to just watch him.

Light on the deck was dimmed to better see the stars and Nijimura was merely a silhouette against the silver glean of the emergency light.

“You know why I talked to you back then and didn’t just treat you like the brat you were?” Nijimura was still staring out the window as he spoke.

“No.” Akashi’s voice sounded lost in the shadowed space between them.

“Because despite all your poise and grace and the great future you had and all that shit, you looked sad. Like, you were a prince or some shit with the world at your feet, but none of that mattered. You were sad and lonely and I was the only person there who seemed to care. So I figured there is no harm in talking to you.”

Akashi allowed the pain at hearing these words to wash through him. _Let him say his piece and then say yours_ , Mibuchi had said. _Maybe what he has to say will surprise you_.

“And now you’re no longer sad. You’re a freaking pirate and half the galaxy is after you, but you’re no longer sad.” Nijimura let out a sound that could have been a laugh. “And I couldn’t figure out why, at first. And it bothered me. Why you would give up your heritage and all the power and money for _this_. How you could be so unhappy then and not now. But I think I get it now.” There was a shuffling noise and Nijimura’s silhouette shifted. Akashi moved closer until he could see Nijimura looking at him.

The stars were reflected in Nijimura’s eyes. They had never seemed more beautiful.

“I mean, I have no clue why you were unhappy, but I can see why you would love this so much.” He gestured to the window above. “Not just the view obviously. But the life. The adventure. The freedom. It is not a bad life, really.”

“Even though we are pirates?”

Nijimura rolled on his side and then sat up. “I saw your logs. Mibuchi showed me.”

Akashi let out a displeased noise. He should have known Mibuchi would meddle.

“Don’t be mad at him. I asked him to. I had a hunch. You let me talk you out of any pirating, even though that’s basically your life. You wouldn’t do that just because.”

“I did it because it was Nijimura who asked.”

Nijimura let out a short laugh. “I figured that out too. But. I guess I wanted it to be more than that. And it was.” He shook his head. “I still can’t believe it. I’ve been flying cargo for subcontractors of Akashi Interstellar for years. It’s unavoidable; they have their hands in everything. I never thought to check. It’s bad for business you know, to doubt your clients.

“There are only a few people in on it. My father generally doesn’t trust people. Most of the subcontractors and subsequent couriers have no idea about their cargo.”

"Is that why you left?”

Akashi sat down on the blanket a good distance away from Nijimura. “Yes. I found out shortly before I turned eighteen. I don’t think I was supposed to know until much later.” He allowed himself a deprecating smile. “What does it say about me that my father thought I would be fine with it? He told me he was going to tell me when I took over. Me knowing before that would simply be a liability he did not need. He never suspected I would be adverse to it.”

“But you were.”

“Yes. I told my father that I had no interest in his dirty business. He told me this wasn’t up to me. If I was going to take over what he had built, I would have to play by his rules. He had no use for an heir that didn’t value the hard work he had put into our empire. I don’t think he expected me to leave. To him, power and money are everything. To give up either is inconceivable.”

Nijimura reached out and ruffled his hair. He seemed startled by it and quickly pulled back. Even in the dark, Akashi could see the faintest blush on his cheeks.

“I think he even less expected me to become a pirate and exclusively steal his cargo.”

“It was a lie, wasn’t it? That someone had placed a hit on my ship?”

“Yes. I do not work with anyone. But it serves if people think their enemy is someone else. Since my father’s company has its hands everywhere, no one has yet figured out what exactly I am targeting. It is almost impossible to find a ship that doesn’t carry something with his name on it.”

“That first ship we saw after I came on board. The runner. Did it have it on board as well?”

“Possibly. But we didn’t know for sure. We habitually enter cargo ship we run into. If they are clean, we just take something random so as not to raise suspicion. Scare the crew a bit and then send them on their way. If their ship is damaged too badly, we will drop them on some planet on the way.”

“What do you do with it, once you retrieve it? You can’t just store it on the ship indefinitely.”

“Thankfully, my father has also devised a way of safely, well as safely as it will ever be, transporting antimatter. It is highly instable and its mass is too great to transport large quantities at once. But we can keep it on board for prolonged amounts of times. We collect as much as we can and then rendezvous with an independent rebel group. They have ways to make the antimatter collapse into itself. It’s an arduous process, but it’s a start.”

“Little more than a scratch on the surface, huh?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Why didn’t you go to the council with this? Antimatter possession, let alone trade, is strictly forbidden.”

“Do you know how many deliveries of antimatter are on their way right now? How big is the chance you think one of them is discovered by accident? Or by a too eager customs officer. They are hidden well, but that is no guarantee. The council is very much aware, but they turn a blind eye. Where do you think all this antimatter is going?”

“I was afraid you were going to say that. It’s for military use, isn’t it?”

“Exactly. Mostly research though. Antimatter has yet to find a feasible application for a weapon. Its destructive power is immense, but it is of little use if it just blows up in our faces. It is only a matter of time until we have an antimatter bomb at our hands, though. That is largely the reason why the bounty on my head is the size it is. I can count the people that died during our attacks on one hand, and all of those were accidents. We try to aim as not to hit life support systems, but it doesn’t always work out. And especially alliance police patrols can be very tenacious and it is not always easy to shake them off without excessive force.”

“I can’t say if you are very noble or very crazy. There’s no way you can take care of all the antimatter in the galaxy.”

“But doing nothing is not an option. Besides, we are not alone. The rebels aid us greatly. We have a network of spies that informs us of possible antimatter deliveries and depending on who is closest, we try to apprehend it.”

They lapsed into silence afterwards. Nijimura seemed to be thinking through what he had just heard.

Akashi stared at the stares above them. Space was vast and empty. How big were the odds really, that he would run into Nijimura of all people. Nijimura who once had a prosperous future in the alliance’s army.

“Do you want me to change the course?” Akashi asked suddenly. “We can go wherever you want. We might have to make some detours on the way, if we happen upon a delivery, but other than that, there are no restrictions.”

“What if there is no place I want to go?”

“You have family. You could return to them.”

Nijimura sighed. “My father is dead and my mother is in a mental institution, unable to remember who I even am.” Akashi opened his mouth but Nijimura was faster. “Don’t say you’re sorry. It happened and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Mom committed brain suicide by infecting herself with cerebral parasites. She couldn’t handle Dad’s death, but she promised him to stay alive. As for my siblings. I have no clue where my sister is, she ditched soon after Mom ended up a vegetable and I really can’t blame her. As for my brother…”

Nijimura heaved another sigh. “We couldn’t shoulder Dad’s hospital bill at some point. I got paid well, but it wasn’t enough. He needed some expensive treatment. So my brother got into some shady deals with Hanamiya. It almost cost him his life when he couldn’t pay him back. I found out. There wasn’t much I could do with Dad draining my funds and all. But there’s a hefty sum of compensation money when you’re discharged from duty because of extenuating circumstances. So I tricked one of my superiors - he was a real dick; he had several cadets performing sexual favors for him in exchange for not booting them out - into assaulting me in front of witnesses. The scandal was huge and I had to leave, because I was involved in it but that was part of the plan. I got paid a nice sum of money, paid off Hanamiya and used the rest to lease myself a small cargo ship. Which you have destroyed, by the way.

“So my brother is still around, but I’d rather not see him. I know he meant well, but this whole thing has put a huge strain on our family. And it’s one of the reasons Mom decided to ditch too. And he doesn’t see it like that. He’s mad at her for leaving and I guess I can understand. But I am mad at him too. So whenever we see each other it’s just really uncomfortable and sooner or later we end up yelling at each other.”

“But at least he is still alive?”

Nijimura huffed a laugh. “That’s a plus all right. And at least I know where to find him, unlike my sister. For all I know she might be dead as well. And I guess I should make an effort to reconcile with my brother at some point, before it’s too late. But right now, I can’t see myself doing it. If I see his face, I’ll just start yelling again.”

Akashi made a sympathetic noise. There was not much he could say. He’d lost his mother too early and from then on, his family had not been much of a family. Maybe it would have been different if he’d had a sibling.

“But I’ve come to terms with it. I don’t have a home. Well, I had a home, but you destroyed it right under my ass.”

“So I guess that means, I owe you one?”

“That depends. You still want to get rid of me as soon as possible?”

Akashi gave himself a moment. He could find an excuse and drop off Nijimura on Schera and move on with his life. He had kind of accepted the fact that he was going to be lonely forever when he had left to hunt his father’s sins. He had his crew and he’d thought that was enough.

“No,” was what he said instead. “I would very much like for Nijimura to stay.” He stared out at the stars.

 _Space is endless_ , his mother had liked to say. _For each opportunity that is lost, a million others appear. If one direction seems to lead nowhere, you can always turn around and go somewhere else. You might get lost, but you will never run out of places to go._

“Forever.” He added quietly. No stars were falling and Akashi wondered why he had ever thought opening up his heart was a bad thing.

“Then you don’t owe me anything," Nijimura responded equally as quiet.

Akashi closed his eyes. “I love you Nijimura. Shuuzou.” He’d said that name a few times in the darkest hours of too many nights to count. Tasting the syllables on his tongue while he held himself in his hand. Now it didn’t taste like sin and defeat. Now it tasted like pure starlight on his lips.

“I know. Took you long enough to come around, brat.”

Akashi’s eyes flew open. “You knew?”

Nijimura rolled his eyes. “Kind of, yes. You were super obvious when you were fourteen, you are only slightly better now. I wasn’t sure at first, but then you made a big deal of keeping me on board for as long as possible. I thought it was the same childish infatuation at first. But well. I was wrong.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” It would have made things so much easier.

Nijimura shrugged. “At first I was just pissed that you destroyed my livelihood. And I didn’t want to give you the wrong idea.” Nijimura sighed. “Akashi, you are the kind of person who _owns_ things. Regardless if they are actual things or people. At least, that’s what I thought. You were a sad little brat, but instead of seeking comfort, you decided I was worth your attention back at that ball. I was intrigued, but I figured you and me were two worlds that could just not mix. I was wrong about that too. Or maybe I wasn’t, and you just changed. But either way, I could see myself doing it, you know?” Nijimura turned to stare out at the stars. His cheeks were faintly red. “Fighting at your side. Cleaning up your father’s mess.”

“This isn’t your fight.”

“Oh shut up, brat. As if I could let you go on about it on your own. You’re bound to make a mess of things sooner or later.”

“What I meant was, it is not your fight, but I am very glad to have you either way.”

“Heh, that sounds better. I’m not going to do the whole ‘new crewmember has to climb up the ladder’ routine though. I’m not playing cabin boy for anyone. I want the same status than your other crewmembers.”

“I was was thinking of something more like vice captain?”

Nijimura turned his head and stared at him in disbelief. “Are you sure? I haven’t even slept with you.”

Akashi had to try very hard not to react to that. The thought of Nijimura obviously having put thought into their possible physical relationship did things to him that could not be healthy. “It suits you a lot. Nijimura used to be in the military and later had his own ship. This is merely an assessment of skills. And Mibuchi has long complained about me needing a proper second-in-command that actually has the training for the position. But if Nijimura wants to work for his position…” He trailed off suggestively.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. We didn’t even have our third date yet.”

“Does that mean you want to go on another date with me?”

Nijimura was obviously embarrassed, but he made an effort to look into Akashi’s eyes. “That depends, what did you have in mind?”

Akashi shifted and pushed himself up to stand. He held out a hand to Nijimura. “Shuuzou, will you dance with me?”

Nijimura looked at the hand for a moment, before a smile broke out on his face. “And I thought you’d never ask. I’ll make an exception for you this once.”

Akashi felt stars burst in his stomach. He was excited, just by this small act. Nijimura moved a bit clumsily and Akashi had to guide him into position. It was exhilarating to be this close and feel the warmth radiating off Nijimura’s skin.

“So you did remember.” He said after he had started to move them both along slowly. Nijimura had obviously no idea what he was doing, but he fell easily into step with Akashi’s guidance.

“Of course I did. You don’t just forget the cockiest fourteen-year old that asks you for a dance at an otherwise brain-damaging boring party. Especially if he proceeds to explain to you while the entire tactical division of the alliance fleet deserves to be fired because two war fronts could have been won and closed years ago, while a third one will inevitably be lost as a result.”

“I don’t remember that part," Akashi confessed. Had he really been that self-important?

“I’m not surprised. You had gotten drunk on half a glass of cherry wine. I would have forgotten that too.”

“I am trying to make this romantic, you know,” Akashi said with no real bite.

Nijimura grinned. “Then where’s the music?”

“Who needs music, when we have the stars?”

Nijimura threw his head back and openly laughed. “You are terribly cheesy. I can’t believe you can say that with a straight face.” Nijimura sobered and looked down at him with an expression that flooded Akashi’s entire body with warmth. “I’ve never told you,” he murmured, “how beautiful you are, have I?”

“No." Akahsi’s voice was breathless and he realized he’d long since stopped following the proper steps of the dance. They were just swaying on their feet now, locked in each others’ arms.

“Well, you are beautiful Seijuurou.” Nijimura leaned down and Akashi watched breathlessly, as his eyelids fluttered shut. Nijimura’s lips were soft and warm and Akashi felt the world expand around him. He sighed and closed his eyes, giving himself over to the feeling of _Nijimura_. He’d dreamed of this, but nothing had come even close.

“I love you,” he murmured once they broke apart. Nijimura smiled, cheeks flushed and basked in the faint glow of starlight. Akashi had never seen anything more beautiful.

“I love you too,” Nijimura responded. Akashi wouldn’t have been able to stop the smile on his lips, if he wanted to.

He could have stayed there forever, under the cover of the stars, wrapped up in Nijimura’s arms. His fight wasn’t over, wouldn’t be over in a long time, but he would no longer have to walk the road alone. Nijimura would be at his side.

And later, after he had pulled Nijimura down with him onto the blanket and gave form to the desires in his mind and soul, after he’d unraveled Nijimura with hands and lips and his _love_ , after he himself had come undone as well, after their bodies had become one for the first time, he led Nijimura to the ship’s navigation computer and pulled open the star map. They had looked at it together and Akashi had told him where he had been before, where he planned to go and what he knew about each of these places. And Nijimura had merely smiled and closed his eyes and poked a finger at random into the projection of stars and planets and said:

“I don’t care where we go. As long as you’re there. And now stop laughing. I am fully aware that the chance of randomly hitting a habitable planet is nil, I was trying to make a point.”

Akashi had never been happier.

 


End file.
